"Writing as a lawyer, employing clarity and precision, is very different from writing a thriller, where what you don’t say is just as important. It took me a long time to unlearn the way a lawyer drafts a document …"
This interview was first published in Rye News in October 2025.
JC: Why a wealthy banker as your principal character? It’s not an obvious hero choice.
DB: That was the attraction – and the challenge. Nico Castello emerges from the story as an honourable man, unafraid of sticking to his principles despite the cost, but he was not the most obvious choice perhaps, save for the fact that I understood his business world. And as the novel evolved, I found him the most interesting character to write about.
JC: How much of the story is based on fact?
DB: Well, I couldn’t put a percentage on it, but certainly all the background events, like the manner of Mary, Queen of Scots’ execution, the Vatican’s loan to Philip of Spain and the delays in launching the Armada, are factual. The city of Genoa plays a key part and if you visit its historic centre, you’ll still see many of the locations I describe. And of course, many of the characters are historical persons, for example, Walsingham, Archbishop Sauli of Genoa and King Philip and his Foreign Minister, Idiaquez.
JC: Was your previous career as a lawyer an advantage or a disadvantage?
DB: Both! I spent my professional life, 35-plus years, crafting words on paper of course, but at the same time, writing as a lawyer, employing clarity and precision, is very different from writing a thriller, where what you don’t say is just as important. It took me a long time to unlearn the way a lawyer drafts a document…
JC: When did you take up creative writing?
DB: In my 50s – I guess it’s never too late to start! I began the novel several years ago, but it evolved into something very different over time.
JC: Who are your own favourite writers, in historical fiction or generally?
DB: I read historical fiction, naturally – but also spy fiction and some crime fiction. John Le Carré’s writing is the absolute pinnacle as far as I’m concerned, but there are several other writers who excel at the spy genre. In crime, it’s got to be Kate Atkinson, whose writing never fails to impress. The first chapter of When Will There Be Good News? is my all-time jaw-dropping opening. In historic fiction, someone who recently read my book compared it to Robert Harris and C J Sansom, which I found very flattering.
JC: What are you reading currently?
DB: Robert Harris’ latest novel, Precipice. Harris can take a well-known character or period and show it to us through a very different lens. I hope that readers will feel my own novel has done something similar.
JC: Is there a sequel in the pipeline? Is it set in Genoa?
DB: Yes. And partly. You’ll have to wait and see for the rest!
JC: Where can people buy a copy of your book?
DB: The paperback is available from Amazon and other online retailers, or a copy can be ordered via any bookstore. Or you can order directly through my website. An e-book is also available from Amazon and, if you’re a subscriber, through KindleUnlimited.
John Case: Your book has been recently published, to great reviews. Tell us a little bit about it.
David Breakell: The setting of my debut novel is the city of Genoa in 1587, in other words, one year before the launch of the Spanish Armada. The threat of war is in the background, but it’s not the subject of the story. My focus is on the lives of the men and women in one particular Genovese family: the events of this turbulent year are mostly seen through their eyes. They are a banking family and through them we also see how money itself was a secret weapon in that historic conflict. But it’s not just about financial machinations: the human dimension – love, honesty, religious faith, or their opposites – also drives the action
JC: Where did you get the idea for the story?
David Breakell: The setting of my debut novel is the city of Genoa in 1587, in other words, one year before the launch of the Spanish Armada. The threat of war is in the background, but it’s not the subject of the story. My focus is on the lives of the men and women in one particular Genovese family: the events of this turbulent year are mostly seen through their eyes. They are a banking family and through them we also see how money itself was a secret weapon in that historic conflict. But it’s not just about financial machinations: the human dimension – love, honesty, religious faith, or their opposites – also drives the action
JC: Where did you get the idea for the story?
DB: I remember that it was not long after the banking crisis in 2008 – the Lehman Brothers crash, in which I was involved professionally – that I read an old history book which hinted that some sort of credit crunch (they didn’t call it that, but I recognised the symptoms) had happened around the time of the Armada. It was the proverbial light bulb moment as far as the idea of the book was concerned.
JC: Why a wealthy banker as your principal character? It’s not an obvious hero choice.
DB: That was the attraction – and the challenge. Nico Castello emerges from the story as an honourable man, unafraid of sticking to his principles despite the cost, but he was not the most obvious choice perhaps, save for the fact that I understood his business world. And as the novel evolved, I found him the most interesting character to write about.
JC: How much of the story is based on fact?
DB: Well, I couldn’t put a percentage on it, but certainly all the background events, like the manner of Mary, Queen of Scots’ execution, the Vatican’s loan to Philip of Spain and the delays in launching the Armada, are factual. The city of Genoa plays a key part and if you visit its historic centre, you’ll still see many of the locations I describe. And of course, many of the characters are historical persons, for example, Walsingham, Archbishop Sauli of Genoa and King Philip and his Foreign Minister, Idiaquez.
JC: Was your previous career as a lawyer an advantage or a disadvantage?
DB: Both! I spent my professional life, 35-plus years, crafting words on paper of course, but at the same time, writing as a lawyer, employing clarity and precision, is very different from writing a thriller, where what you don’t say is just as important. It took me a long time to unlearn the way a lawyer drafts a document…
JC: When did you take up creative writing?
DB: In my 50s – I guess it’s never too late to start! I began the novel several years ago, but it evolved into something very different over time.
JC: Who are your own favourite writers, in historical fiction or generally?
DB: I read historical fiction, naturally – but also spy fiction and some crime fiction. John Le Carré’s writing is the absolute pinnacle as far as I’m concerned, but there are several other writers who excel at the spy genre. In crime, it’s got to be Kate Atkinson, whose writing never fails to impress. The first chapter of When Will There Be Good News? is my all-time jaw-dropping opening. In historic fiction, someone who recently read my book compared it to Robert Harris and C J Sansom, which I found very flattering.
JC: What are you reading currently?
DB: Robert Harris’ latest novel, Precipice. Harris can take a well-known character or period and show it to us through a very different lens. I hope that readers will feel my own novel has done something similar.
JC: Is there a sequel in the pipeline? Is it set in Genoa?
DB: Yes. And partly. You’ll have to wait and see for the rest!
JC: Where can people buy a copy of your book?
DB: The paperback is available from Amazon and other online retailers, or a copy can be ordered via any bookstore. Or you can order directly through my website. An e-book is also available from Amazon and, if you’re a subscriber, through KindleUnlimited.
The Alchemist of Genoa is published by Dower House Books.
See David's review of Robert Harris' Precipice
and of Kate Atkinson's Death At the Sign of the Rook.
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